Legal Definitions - irrelevant

Definition: Irrelevant refers to evidence that does not relate to or affect the matter in controversy in civil and criminal litigation. Evidence is considered irrelevant if it does not have any tendency to make a fact more or less probable than it would be without the evidence, and the fact is not of consequence in determining the action.

• In a car accident case, evidence of a person being injured in a different accident is irrelevant in proving that the plaintiff was injured in the same accident.
• In a murder trial, evidence of the defendant's financial status is irrelevant to the question of whether they committed the crime.

These examples illustrate that evidence must be directly related to the matter in controversy to be considered relevant. Evidence that does not have any bearing on the facts of the case or the issues being decided is considered irrelevant and may be excluded from consideration.

Attorneys can object to irrelevant evidence at trial, and judges may strike irrelevant material at the pleading stage. It is important to object to irrelevant evidence in a timely manner, as failure to do so could result in the evidence being admitted for consideration by the judge or jury, and could waive the ability to object on appeal.